


IshiMondo Week 2020

by katotastic000



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Ishimondo Week 2020, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25054267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katotastic000/pseuds/katotastic000
Summary: Collection of my contributions toperfect-ishimondo-boys'IshiMondo Week from July 2020AUs:1.Stone AU2.Soulmate AU 93.Haunted AU4.Mad Scientist AU5.Corpse Bride AU6.Good Omens AU7.Café AU
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo
Comments: 24
Kudos: 191





	1. Stone AU - dust and tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting off with
>
>> ##### Ishimondo Stone AU:
>> 
>> When you break someone’s heart they turn to stone and fall apart and the only way to bring them back is to put them back together.

He couldn't get himself to look up, look them in the eyes. Eyes turned away in shame and mourning, eyes widened in shock and disbelief, eyes squinted in anger and hurt. He blinked a few times, but no tears came. What purpose had tears now anyway? No one was able to forgive him; mercy was not an option and those who believed that he did not regret his action would not be convinced by a crying killer. But it would be nice anyway, not hiding for once.

Somewhere in the distance, a shrill voice announced him guilty; somewhere in the background, someone screamed. A scream that could break bones and soul. It'd be nice to cry for him at least, cry about the two days that their friendship lasted, cry to show what he learned from him, to apologize that he was such a terrible student. The shrill voice went on, something about unanimity; he wasn't listening, _just speed it up and end it... please_.

His head snapped up at the sound of a familiar name. "...chose the wrong answer!" Their eyes met. That wasn't him. The one he saw stood askew on shaking legs, quivering lips curled, the usual pallor washed grey with tears, endless tears, rolling down his cheeks. The bonfire in his eyes was snuffed to embers.

_Cry, so he sees you're grateful. Cry, so he sees that he's disappointed you, but you have no right to say it._

Taka was not weak; Taka was not broken. Or at least he was stronger than him, at least he had gathered his pieces and build something out of them, out of him. But the way he looked right now, the way he looked at him right now awoke the belief inside Mondo that he was the one responsible for that look, as if something inside Ishimaru had shattered.

_...shattered?_

Mondo took a step closer and Taka's eyes darted down and landed on his chest. He gasped for air, his spine writhed, then another sudden gasp. Taka raised his head, his teeth gritted, and grabbed Mondo's shirt, clawed at the fabric. Did he say something? Did he or did Mondo just wish to hear his name out of his mouth again? Yes, there it was, hiding in one of his breaths or rather his attempts at one, "Mondo-?"

From under his clean-white collar, grey crawled up his neck, up his veins, up his skin. Rough grey with splatters of green and black, with bumps and notches. Eating up his smooth, pale throat, swallowing his chin and jaw, covering his lips and cheeks. His words stopped; his breath stopped. _Say it again._ His fingers curled at his chest and crumpled his shirt. His eyes flickered while standing still on Mondo's and forever standing still as they were glazed over by grey as well.

"No." There was so much more than "no" that he had to say but did not know how. Chatter emerged around him, people gasping and pointing or turning away. Even the shrill voice kept silent.

"No" fell out of his open mouth on repeat because there was no one important that would listen to him anyway. Mondo raised his hand, and he noticed he was shaking, and inch by inch, he reached out. His fingertips grazed Taka's cheekbone, the unforgivingly cold, rugged surface.

Stone. He had turned into stone.

Mondo's hand turned to cup his face, his eyes staring at him unseeing, carved widened in pain and fear.

Under Mondo's skin, the stone crumbled, and dust fell down to his feet. By the time he pulled away his hand, a long crack had grown from Taka's cheek to his ear. Piece by piece, the stone splintered, and the crack widened. Then his neck split. A single finger rolled down Mondo's shirt. His left knee broke, ripping the pants of his uniform open. It fragmentized as it hit the ground. Shock made its round through everybody in this room once again. Mondo's hands shot forwards with another meaningful "No!" but he was too slow to catch him.

Kiyotaka shattered into scraps, bits, smithereens and pieces as his body connected to the floor.

Nobody said a word. Instead of repeating his "no"s, Mondo opened and closed his mouth, opened and closed, without anything spoken. Cry, cry, cry, he begged, and it finally worked. Tears, hot like boiling water, ran down his cheeks, dissolved his make-up, drew black lines on his face, hit the floor and left wet circles in the grime.

Except for a dusty uniform, nothing in this room reminded the students of Kiyotaka Ishimaru. And Mondo was responsible for that.

He fell to his knees, the powdered stone stuck to his sweaty hands, the sharp pieces pressed painfully into his skin. He had dirtied that man, broke him, killed him along with another innocent life. Kiyotaka should have stayed away from him. Or rather Mondo should have been more careful, he should have stayed on his guard.

Mondo knew that Taka wore his rose glasses for him. He knew that Taka was aware of his dangers, yet it seemed that he chose to ignore them, to bring out his better sides. Maybe to make himself feel better, make Mondo feel better?

But Mondo didn't move either. He enjoyed this rare freedom. Someone actually wanted his company for once, someone was not afraid of him and was strong enough to oppose him. He felt dangerously careless again and that outside of his gang, around somebody that was in all meanings but one his complete contrary. He felt whole because Kiyotaka filled all the empty spaces. He taught Mondo emotions, he taught him his soul while Mondo taught him jokes and culture.

It seemed like an unequal exchange, but Taka was happy, and Mondo felt understood, much less lonely and most importantly, he felt alive.

Why would it always end like this? Why did he always fuck up everything, why was it always his fault?

Mondo didn't care much as the chain locked around his neck. His classmates were granted one final look at him, look at the mess he was and the mess he caused, and they stared horrified at how easy he accepted his fate.


	2. Soulmate AU 9 -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU is
>
>> ##### Ishimondo soulmate AU (9):
>> 
>> As soon as you’re born you and your soulmate are connected by an emotional bond. This bond allows you to feel your soulmate’s emotions and feelings. Depending on how strong your soulmate’s current emotions are you might be affected by them through the bond physically or mentally. The emotional bond helps soulmates find each other and express their feelings more deeply with one another. You are unable to hide your emotions and feeling from your soulmate.

"Hey, uh, Taka?" Mondo's words echoed through the emptiness of the bath, but he felt no bite of awkwardness on his tongue. Well, a nibble, but not due to the fact that they were all alone in the school's public bath to cool off after some hours in the sauna.

Ishimaru awoke from his rigidity. His eyes that had been absently staring at the wall behind Mondo re-focused and his spine snapped back into his usual broomstick-erect posture. Mondo regarded him with worry from the other side of the water. If nobody forced him to, Taka rarely took a break from everything and shut off, he badly deserved to not have his head running all the time. "What is it?" Kiyotaka enquired. At least he smiled.

Mondo scratched his neck that was blocked by his long hair sticking to his skin and sighed. "I just-" He paused in expectance that the volume of his voice would shoot up. Although his inability to build up eye-contact was a clear warning, it didn't occur as he went on, "I just wanted to say thanks. Cuz of this bond-thing that we have, I've actually been happier lately."

Mondo finally got himself to look up. It was an uncommon sight. Softness had mixed into the hard edges of his face. The sting in his eyes had eased. Taka seemed to relax into Mondo's voice, the tension in his muscles relieved. "So yeah, thanks."

"I'm so glad you told me, kyoudai!" Kiyotaka clapped his hands and grinned. "That proves that you have quite outgrown yourself, I'm proud of you!" His expression suddenly collapsed. His eyes darted downwards. Taka pressed his palm to his chest and furrowed his brows. "Is that you or me?"

Mondo rubbed his hand over his face. Bless and also damn Taka for being so oblivious. Of course, that strange feeling stemmed from him! Mondo tried his hardest to contain the wild beating of his heart that tried to kick in his ribcage. He knew that his face was already burning bright red and a wobbly smile slithered about his lips.

Mondo and Taka were soulmates. Their classmate and friend, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, had identified the two as bonded shortly after they declared their steadfast brotherhood after half a schoolyear full of fights and teasing and reprimands. Yasuhiro claimed that their bond through which they shared their emotions with each other was of such intensity and persistence that he could see it between them like a thread. Yasuhiro claimed a lot of things on a long day but thirty percent of the things he claimed were correct. He had hit the mark or rather, Taka and Mondo were absolutely unshakeable in the conviction that Yasuhiro was right.

Before meeting Taka though, Mondo had expectations. He couldn't help but associate the word "soulmate" with love. What else was the wide-eyed boy, looking up to his older brother and his popularity with guys as friends and gals as lovers, supposed to believe? So, Mondo's soulmate naturally was a pretty, petite girl who he could protect and impress, right?

Well, no, not exactly. Turns out, his soulmate was a man, and had he been anyone else, Mondo might have given him a chance at being his friend but nothing beyond. But he was who he was and to Mondo, he was a disappointment.

His soulmate was his polar opposite. The saying "opposites attract" intensely applied here. They attracted in the way that would have almost gotten the two into a brawl if their classmates had not stepped in.

His soulmate was incredibly irritating, and their bond only amplified that irritation. He just knew how to push Mondo's buttons as if he had an operating manual. Even his talent was basically Ultimate Stick-In-Ass Rule-Abiding Drag; the black to Mondo's white, his Ultimate Biker Gang Leader title.

But no matter his efforts, Mondo could not get his soulmate off his mind. His friends had started joking that Mondo developed an obsession. That, he could not let standing. So, he went up to his nemesis, shouted "Let's settle this!" and they did. And they clicked.

Taka was so different than what Mondo saw him as. Sure, he was rule-abiding, uptight and an effort to be around. But latter was, oddly enough, motivating. Taka forced Mondo to work with him and all the while, on himself. Taka had the guts to contrast and oppose him, to match him and fill up what Mondo lacked.

Soon, Mondo saw himself as lucky to have Taka at the other end of the line. They shared their happiness as a spreading warmth in their chests, their fears as heavy stones and prison-breaking captives in their hearts and their support as soothing slow beats and the strength of their bond.

Kiyotaka helped Mondo to make a better man out of himself; someone people could confide in, someone they could trust, someone that could help. The tiny, timid girlfriend that he had always wished for would have never been able to achieve that.

"It's me, the heat," Mondo pushed out and swallowed the echo of his heartbeat in his throat. "Oh gosh!" Taka exclaimed as his eyes grew plate sized. The next second, he appeared at Mondo's side. He practically slapped the back of his hand against Mondo's forehead who blinked at him in astonishment.

When he noticed Taka's jaw clenching and his brows knitting, Mondo flashed a quick smile and gently brushed Ishimaru's hand away. Taka frowned, even as Owada ruffled his hair and said, "I'm fine, don't worry." Kiyotaka cocked his head to look past the arm in front of his face. "If so, then what was that?" he asked.

Mondo removed his hand from the other's head with a sigh. "I can't really explain that." "Then show it to me!" Taka ordered firmly. Showing his emotions physically rather than expressing them verbally had helped Mondo in the past, but this required a lot of explaining afterwards. "Oh, there it is again," Kiyotaka mumbled as he put his hand to his chest once again.

Mondo had been somewhat right with his naive association. Never had he met a person who was so suitable to kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummmmmmmmmmmm so
> 
> As you have probably noticed, this fic doesn't have a title. Like, my brain is completely empty on this one. So, I'm just gonna ask you readers! (This is probably really lame, I'm sorry...)
> 
> You can leave a suggestion in the comments or you can send me an ask/dm me on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/katoxd000), I'm looking forward to it!
> 
> (Also I've never interacted with my readers in that way, so it may become somewhat chaotic, I apologize in advance. I plan to remove this note after I've adopted a suggestion but I will not remove any of your comments. I can't promise anything and I don't know if I'll change my mind after I picked a title.)


	3. Haunted AU - normality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daiya!!!!!! in the AU
>
>> ##### Haunted AU:
>> 
>> After his brother’s death Mondo has been haunted by Daiya’s ghost giving him brotherly advice from beyond the grave. Daiya just wants to see his brother happy and to help him in any ghostly way he can. But unfortunately Mondo just wishes that Daiya will stop trying to help him with his relationship with his best friend/crush Kiyotaka.
> 
> Also internalized homophobia warning!

"So," a disembodied voice echoed through the room. Mondo knew what was coming. He rolled his eyes and checked his phone. He had already forgotten what time it was by the time he put it down on his nightstand again but anyway, it was far too late at night for Mondo to be awake and having to deal with this.

Daiya's head popped through his mattress, right next to his nose. "you're still up," he continued. "Thinking about a certain moral compass?"

In truth, Daiya had died four years ago in a motorcycle accident. It was in actuality Mondo who was destined to find his end that night, heading right into an upcoming truck in the heat of their race and the rush of luck, but Daiya interfered, kicked his bike off the street and took the hit for him. Either he bled out or suffocated from his broken rips tearing apart his lungs and on the blood plugging his throat, nobody was really sure but Daiya left this world right on the crash site.

He appeared to Mondo a few months later. He had been around for longer already in the form of a ghost, but he assumed that now was the right time. He was wrong. Mondo had not left their apartment at all. He would have starved if it were not for the members of their biker gang who made sure he had food and actually ate it. Mondo had been decaying. He passed out multiple times a day as result of his lack of sleep, he had grown thin and weak after not seeing the sun in months and not exercising. And he was not able to touch his bike anymore.

When Daiya announced himself in his husky, humming voice and stepped forward, Mondo turned around and lost consciousness. Daiya explained himself after his brother had woken up and stopped crying. He told Mondo to shut up when he got on his knees and said that Daiya should have let it happen, back then.

Daiya soon noticed that his presence was more of a curse for his brother than anything else. It reminded him of what he had done or rather what he felt responsible for. He was never really sure if ignoring Mondo's pleads to leave him and let him rot was the best idea but the only one he had. So, he kept sticking around, trying his hardest to establish normality in this already broken household and each day Mondo reacted a little more.

Mondo sighed deeply. "I'm not gay, Daiya." He rolled over. "Says the guy coming back from a late-night sauna adventure with his best bro just some hours ago." Daiya's pompadoured head now stuck out of the other side of the bed, a cheeky grin on his lips. Without making the effort to look at him, Mondo turned again. "I'm not fucking" and he truly spat it out, "_gay_! Get out."

"Mondo, what's your problem?" Oh God, it's that tone again, Mondo thought, the _"You're my baby brother, I hafta protect you and I only want the best for you, so you gotta tell me everything that's on your mind"_ -tone, weirdly maternal and slightly condescending. Daiya had phased through Mondo's bed and was now sitting on the floor and leaning against the front of the nightstand, as far as these terms applied to ghosts. All this time, Daiya was forced to stay in the clothes he died in, his long white coat and baggy pants. Luckily, the bloodstains had started to disappear.

Mondo sat up. He gritted his teeth at his brother looking up to him, his raised eyebrows and his lavender eyes droopy with worry. "It's nothing, I'm telling ya!" Daiya's look wrinkled further into his face as Mondo raised his voice. "Now leave me the fuck alone, okay?" Mondo grinded his bared teeth, he flung the blankets over himself and swung around to face the other side of his room.

"Mondo, hey." Again, a-fucking-gain, that damn tone. Daiya was hanging in the air over him, Mondo could tell from the soft glow emitting from his brother's body. "I've seen the way you look at him, ya know," Daiya began, expecting Mondo to snap at him again but not caring. "Your eyes get all starry and soft and you actually look happy for once. I mean, who cares about gay and straight or whatever anyways, right?" A chuckle followed his last sentence.

"You don't fucking get it, Daiya." His voice was shaking, and he pushed out every syllable like it was fighting for its life not to be spoken. "I don't get what?" Daiya glided over to have a look at his brother's face. Some spots on his skin caught his glow. He was crying. "I can't just-" Mondo pressed his lips together, trying his hardest to keep his lips from curling into an ugly, pathetic expression. "I got a reputation to uphold." His voice pitched up. "People'll think I'm some fucking _fag_."

Daiya smoothed his pompadour and sighed. Something in his chest clogged and heaved down his lungs. That was not the first time that he'd felt that way, that Mondo felt that way. Was it his fault that Mondo was how he is? He had pulled Mondo out of their mother's fangs, he had made the decision that he would be the one Mondo looked up to, that he relied on. And then he just died, snap and gone, without teaching Mondo how to be alone. He had powered the copying machine that was his brother: _I'm the only one you have that is strong enough to take care of us both, so be strong like me._

Mondo pressed his face deeper into the mattress when Daiya laid a hand on his head. Of course, he couldn't feel more than a swift touch. "I'm not an expert on the topic." Daiya made a motion to ruffle his brother's hair. "But I know that Taka is the best thing that ever happened to you and he deserves to know that."

Mondo propped up on his forearm and roughly rubbed the tears off his face. "So? As if you had any idea what I should do." Daiya floated back a little as he shrugged. "Yeah, I don't. Just stick around him till it feels normal enough to talk about these things." Mondo squinted, also due to Daiya's brightness. "But like, what can a straight guy like him know," he said and Daiya sighed with a smile.

"He took a 'Am I Gay?' test on a computer in the A/V room after school just before you walked in on him." Mondo put his hands together in the brief prayer that Daiya was lying, and that he was not. "He didn't." "He did." "Oh my God." Half of the words were muffled as Mondo put his hand over his mouth and ran the other through his hair.

"Well, I'm gonna leave you with that info," Daiya announced suddenly. "Go the fuck to sleep, I'm not waking your ass up again." "Wait!" Mondo extended a hand in the mindless hopes of grabbing the ghost but Daiya had already fallen through the bed and ground and disappeared. For tonight.


	4. Mad Scientist AU - his human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The AU for today
>
>> ##### Mad Scientist AU:
>> 
>> Kiyotaka is a lonely mad scientist who is trying to create himself the perfect companion (Mondo).
> 
> But **FUN FACT** , I've wrote something super, super similar _ages_ ago! So I just went and remastered it, that's why the role are reversed.
> 
> Also, here are some takes on Mondo's and Daiya's parents!

Mondo jumped back when a flame lashed out of his lighter. The heat felt strange on his cold skin - he had forgotten his coat and was shivering - and the flame danced in his direction as if it was out to burn him. He sniffed and breathed out. Tears had already welled up in his eyes again after the recent ones had not even dried yet. He extended his arm and held out the lighter over the pile of scrap metal at his feet, parts of the surface that were not rusty or damaged reflected the orange glow as if it were already burning. "Come on, I can do this," he muttered and clenched his teeth. Letting go only _sounded_ simple.

What laid there at his feet were the remains of his brother, or rather what remained of his brother's soul. Daiya had been his older sibling and really the only one who took care of him. It was not like their mother paid no attention to them. Their mother was always there but always there as in watching them, asking where they've been, what they've been up to, calling them by the hour, trapping them in their rooms, grounding them, so they could not see their friends, so they could not go to school. She'd always apologized, on her knees and she'd cried, only for it to begin anew tomorrow. Or in the next hour.

Their father had left, just like the brothers did when Daiya was fifteen and working and Mondo was nine and afraid. Their mother kept calling, calling them and the police to look for her sons and called taxis to drive her to her children to beg them to come home. "I'll do better," she pleaded. "I'll be there for you now, really." Daiya and Mondo moved twice before their mother could not find them anymore.

Mondo was happier, though that did not mean much. He stole his neighbor's newspaper to check the obituaries, called her once or twice a month, over a payphone in another town of course, and he fought with Daiya, called him a traitor until he was twelve. Then he'd joined them.

Daiya bought a motorcycle when he was sixteen from his salary. He had lied on his application and lied to his landlords, the latter found out that he was not actually nineteen and he had to bribe them but after a while, he had enough. Daiya had a talent for people, he was a charmer, bold but bethought and it was no stretch for him to convince his many friends to start a gang.

But Daiya grew up and announced one day that he'd pass down his title of leader to his brother. Shouts and groans echoed through the group of bikers. "You all should be a little grateful that my bro upgraded your shitty used bikes into actual machines!" Daiya threw an arm around Mondo's shoulder and slapped his chest for emphasis. Mondo swallowed. He started sweating under the endless sea of judgmental eyes that watched him, knowing that he'd have to lead them one day.

What Daiya had for people, Mondo had for machinery. He felt uncomfortable around humans, they were so fragile and eerily responsive. With parts and bolts and pistons, he could hammer away, either it worked, or it didn't. Nobody judged him for his failures, nobody praised him either, but Mondo could take that loss. And he hurt nobody in the process.

If that would only be true. Of course, he had worked on Daiya's bike as well. It was a privilege, an honor and his brother had laughed at that wording. There was a mistake, some mistake and it worked still.

Daiya died. Motorcycle accident, the type where policemen click their tongues and shake their heads and say "Ah, these bastards again." If it weren't for the gang, Mondo would have died with him on the same night.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't just burn Daiya's bike like that, heavy-handedly thrown on a pile, savagely drenched in gasoline. His hand curled into a desperate fist as his other started to shake, the flame flickering in the night. "Fuck, I'm so weak," he exhaled and gave up. Wordlessly, he gathered the smeary and reeking metal and made his way to his rented garage where he now essentially lived.

Again, for the thousandth time in the three years that Daiya laid dead and buried, Mondo stared down at his blueprints, then raised his head to look at the machine he had started right after the accident.

Mondo was aware of all the things wrong with him. He had shut himself in his garage where he began his work. He was broken and lonely, he needed someone. Someone to listen, someone to talk to and someone to feed him, to tell him to go to sleep or take a shower and to wake him up. He had to hold that promise to his gang, to his brother, that he'd take care of himself. Or rather make someone to do the job. His gang had left him, nobody wanted to follow incarnated insanity.

Mondo needed a new brother, a better friend and he knew that he had found one in this metal. His human was male with a wiry body, slightly weaker, slightly smaller than him. Mondo had painted his skin pale and smooth, strapped it over prominent cheek-, jaw-, collar- and hipbones and had dressed him in pure white. He had placed LEDs behind red glass for eyes and rimmed them with thick, pointy eyebrows. It was a subconscious decision; Mondo felt the need to be stared down, to be opposed and countered by someone strong yet not as powerful as himself.

Mondo had spent, leave out some bucks, all his money on a prototype software for android soldiers that someone sold online. It was said to be unfinished and therefore possibly unstable and a threat. Mondo did not know that. He had read the title and gone for it. His human would act courageous and protective, resolute and unafraid. Mondo could handle all danger; he was strong after all.

Tonight was the night. Two years he had worked the life out of himself to fulfill his desire, one year he had waited, telling himself all would get worse someday and then he could start him up. Who cared now whether his condition would deteriorate further, or he had lost his mind? Mondo was alone anyway.

While a grin crept up his face, Mondo booted up his human. It was a good thing that he could not see himself right now. His red eyes ignited, and the machine began his soft song, the humming sound of success. The human blinked, once, a pause, then twice and thrice and if his face had not been numb, Mondo would have noticed his tears. The human turned his head and looked around, before his stinging gaze landed on his creator. Just like he wanted. The human bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, Mondo Owada."

His voice sounded like copied from a person's vocal cords, a tad too loud but acceptable. His movements were smooth as the human walked towards him. His pace seemed off, too strenuous but well, there was a soldier inside of him. The beat of his blinking was irregular, his lips curved around his words. There was indeed a piece of human inside him.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru was perfect, absolutely perfect.


	5. Corpse Bride AU - remember me in every raven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's AU
>
>> ##### Corpse Bride AU:
>> 
>> When an arranged marriage between Mondo Oowada and Celestia Ludenberg reaches the rehearsals, Mondo messes up his vows. So he decides to spend time in the forest to practice on his own. While practicing he gets his vows right and puts his wedding ring on a finger-shaped stick in the ground. But the stick turns out to be a rotted finger belonging to a murdered boy (Kiyotaka), who returns as a zombie and insists that he is now Mondo’s lawfully wedded husband.

"With this wine- oh, hell no." God, how many tries was he on? Four sentences shouldn't be that hard to remember!

Mondo Owada was getting married, somewhat voluntarily but somewhat forced all the while. He and his older brother Daiya owned a small carpentry in town. Both brothers possessed excellent skill, however, skill was sadly secondary to advertisement and product reach. In the early times, they were able to hold their ground but lately, the challenge was gradually growing more unmasterable as other businesses turned up in the area.

Right on time, Celestia Ludenberg and her courtiers moved into the abandoned castle on the hill outside of town. Barely anyone knew her. The closest people to her were the men in the bar, playing cards and murmuring her name. Rumor had it that she earned all her wealth by gambling although rumor also had it that she was a witch. So these were the amounts of truths the rumors usually had.

The townsfolk practiced their distance to her, and she returned the favor, she was hated just as little as she was liked. The thing people knew about her besides her name was her financial status. Celestia Ludenberg was incredibly, enormously rich. And yet to be wedded. This was where Mondo stepped in.

Daiya had arranged a deal with Celestia's highest advisor: the Ludenberg money for the entirety of their promising business, sealed by the unbreakable bond of marriage.

Mondo had no opinion about Celestia. She kept mostly to herself and what she presented in public seemed calculating and artificially polite, as if she was faking her humanity. But Mondo was willing to make sacrifices for what the brothers had always dreamed of. It was a promise.

The only thing that stood between the brothers and the money was Mondo himself and his damned nervousness and anxiety. Not because he truly loved Celestia and wanted to leave a good impression on her, no, apart from a "good morning", they had never conversed before! He too did not have someone else that he loved, even though his preference ranged beyond the female variety. It was the responsibility which he had heaved on his shoulder himself, the fear of losing his independence, of losing the deal. And thus, he had messed up his vows. Long before the wedding rehearsal, shortly before the rehearsal, during the rehearsal and after he had fled the rehearsal.

To clear his head, Mondo strolled deeper and deeper into the forest outside of town. He looked up to the tree crowns and their winterly empty branches, stabbing the grey of the overcast night sky. Snow crunched and twigs cracked under his shoes as he walked. A shiver climbed up his spine. Mondo's suit was borrowed, too small and despite the layers of undershirt, shirt, vest and jacket, way too thin to withstand the winter.

"With this hand," Mondo began once again but was interrupted by his chuckling. He sounded so dramatic and festive, loud and overly articulate, and stupid. He shouldn't be laughing though, he realized. Weddings are festive and a serious occasion. Mondo wasn't the man for that.

He slumped down on a near stump and fumbled the ring out of the inner pocket of his jacket. A cheap thing, only coated with gold. Surely, Celestia would notice that someday. A sigh made him aware that his shirt buttons held on to their dear life to cover his chest. Slowly and carefully, he rolled his shoulder. He needed to get out of this rag as soon as possible. So, he tried again.

"With this hand," Mondo raised his palm. "I will lift your sorrows." He grabbed a patch of bark that was lying next to him. "Your cup will never empty," he brought the rounded bark up to his chest. "for I will be your wine. With this candle," he looked around and found a bunch of sticks poking out of the snow. He broke off one of them and tapped another with its end. "I will light your way into darkness. With this ring," he held the coated bronze between his fingers. He slid it onto another stick in the snow that was strangely split into five ends. "I ask you to be mine."

"Huh, it worked," he mumbled, blinking in surprise and went to remove the ring from the twig. When the twig wound around his wrist.

Mondo jumped up but the grip was firm, and he fell to his knees. Panic rose in him, he pulled and teared, ripped back his arm, it was just a stick, he was strong enough for a _stick_ , until the stick gave in and snapped. But it had not let him go. "Get off me!" His voice pitched up. He grabbed the stick, ready to yank it away, when his fingertips met something wet and viscous.

It was a rotten hand. And he had just touched a tendon. "What the fuck, what the fuck, _what the fuck!_" He crawled backwards, the snow wetting his pants and jacket. He shook and flailed his arm around, but the hand was stuck. After several attempts, he managed to push himself up to run when he heard a delighted voice, "I do!"

A figure dragged its body out of the pile of snow next to the stump where Mondo had sat on. It was a man in a suit like his own, but the figure's clothes were ragged and teared everywhere your eyes fell on. A brooch hid under a layer of dirt. The man himself was in no better condition. Like rags, pale grey skin hung on bare bones, held together by pink sinews which were full of holes. The man's head was carved in, a giant head wound, and all bone and skin that laid under there was split and broken, the eyeball had popped out of its socket. The black hair around the wound shone red of dried blood.

Mondo made a motion that was similar to a punch, but it never reached the man and as he stumbled forwards and fell, his world went black.

* * *

"Have you lost your mind, Mondo?" Kiyotaka slapped him. Naked bone felt odd on living skin. The cup slid out of Mondo's hand and the poisoned wine spilled on the ground of the cathedral ruin. The sound echoed up the tall walls that remained. The red wine glimmered white in the moonlight that shone through the open roof. Mondo's fingers grazed his aching cheek. Tears had welled up in the corpse's single eye, rolled down and collected at his chin. "I don't want you to die for me!""

Back then, in the forest, Mondo had awoken a young man by the name of Kiyotaka Ishimaru. His body had been savagely deposited in the forest after he was murdered years ago. In his better days, Ishimaru had been running for town mayor. However, the elder townsfolk couldn't let go of the terrible, traitorous image that Kiyotaka's grandfather had created for his family in his term of office. Thus, they instructed one of their just as young and quite attractive sons to ensnare and betray him, poisoning him but when that wasn't enough, ultimately smashing in his skull.

Mondo woke up from his unconsciousness in the land of the dead. Kiyotaka was absolutely positive that Mondo's practice vows and one-sided ring exchange had bound them forever as wedded husbands, not regarding the grave gap between their current living status. In spite of the absurdity of the situation, Mondo soon found himself being fond of him.

At first, he had tried his hardest to clarify the misunderstanding and had even opened up about the deal with Celestia and the promise to his brother. Kiyotaka had reacted so compassionate, that he knew exactly how Mondo felt, carrying all this responsibility by himself, like Ishimaru had once too. In the end, Mondo was the one to say, "I want us to stay like this."

Then the message hit. Daiya had seen himself forced to leave behind his girlfriend and take his brother's place as Celestia's husband, but Mondo was blinded by love. Kiyotaka dragged him out, up again to join the living and manage his matters. Mondo agreed but not before having at least one cup of wine together.

If Kiyotaka had not noticed the familiar smell of poison in Mondo's drink, all would have gone according to his plan.

"But Taka, this is the only way we can be together." Mondo took Kiyotaka's bony, cold hand into his own. Ishimaru had to stifle a sob. "I love you."

This time, Taka couldn't suppress his whimper. He cupped Mondo's cheek, the one he had hit, and lightly brushed his thumb over the spot. Mondo's lavender eyes stared at him with worry, almost fear. His bronze skin had paled, and his mouth had fallen open.

Kiyotaka lowered his head. How could he hurt Mondo? How was he capable of hurting someone dear to him? Mondo was kind and humble, he was honest. He had fulfilled Kiyotaka's dream of finally finding someone to gift his love to, he had healed his wounds and had lifted the curse. After a long, long time, Kiyotaka was truly happy again. But he couldn't put his own happiness over someone's life, especially not over the man he loved like nothing else in all the worlds he'd ever been to.

"I know, my love, I know that," he whispered. "But I cannot stand to see you throw yourself away." He looked up. Mondo had started crying as well. "Keep your carpentry, stay with your brother. Live for me, Mondo. That would be the greatest proof of your love for me and for yourself."

Mondo pressed his face into Kiyotaka's palm as sob after sob began swashing out of his throat. "Please don't leave me."

Kiyotaka placed a tender kiss on his forehead and wiped away some of the many tears as he moved back. "You have freed me, Mondo. I want to do the same for you."

His hand felt heavy but so sorrowfully empty when he pulled it back from Mondo's face. He opened the fastener of the brooch on his chest and let it slip into the pocket of Mondo's jacket.

"Take this," Taka said. "It's an heirloom and in the state I am now, I don't have use for it. It's a ruby set in gold, I'm not sure if it will be enough but do me a favor and sell it, so you can finance your carpentry."

As Kiyotaka spoke these last words, he couldn't contain himself anymore. Tears flooded out of his eye and sobs ripped apart his breaths. "Mondo, I love you!"

He pulled away, escaped his lover's grip and ran. Everything, everything that remained of his body, tugged him back, everything ached at the thought of leaving him behind. But he had to. Death and life did not differ in their cruelty. Each step, he breathed heavily and sobbed as his body disintegrated into thousands of black feathers that assembled to hundreds of ravens, taking off into the night sky.


	6. Good Omens AU - London, 1941

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IT IS, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!
>
>> ##### Good Omens AU:
>> 
>> Kiyotaka and Mondo are an angel and demon who have lived among humans since the garden of Eden. Despite representing opposing divine parties, Kiyotaka and Mondo have known each other for centuries and have interacted often slowly becoming unlikely friends. After living on earth for so long Kiyotaka and Mondo grow the same fondness for humanity that only each other can truly understand. So when Heaven and Hell attempts to bring about the Apocalypse Kiyotaka and Mondo team up to save the world and find the antichrist before the end can begin.

Nazis were cowardly, half-witted, faulty excuses of patriots with no mind of their own, so they just stuck to copying the next best opinion without second thought. Despite Kiyotaka agreeing strongly with said opinion, he did not express it while handing over the leather bag full of books to Mr Harmony. "This bag includes the following books of prophecy," he enumerated, counting the titles on his fingers. "The Book of Atua, The Beauty of Humanity and Predictions With Thirty Percent Accuracy Which Is More Than The Usual Prediction Accuracy. First editions, as requested." He slightly bowed at the waist as affirmation of his statement.

"What about ze ozer book?" Harmony asked with a politely impatient smile after regarding the bag's content for a brief second. Kiyotaka grinded his teeth at the German's accent, so extreme that one might he trained it to seem even more German. For a Nazi agent tasked with external affairs, he could have had at least put a little effort in getting rid of the characteristic mispronunciation. 

"Do you mean The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnus Nutter, Witch? I'm afraid there are no copies." He lowered his gaze and shook his head in disappointment and to hide the fact that he was a horrible liar and actually very happy that there were no copies of Agnus' book. His satisfied smirk would have given him away otherwise. Even if the bookshop owner were indeed in possession of said work, the Nazis would have to rip off his cold, dead hands clutching around it. Which would also be impossible since Kiyotaka was immortal; he was an angel, after all.

"Well," Glozier, Harmony's company, slapped his meaty thighs and arose from his seat near the altar of the church they held their meeting in. "Even so, ze Führer will be grateful for your efforts." From somewhere around his back, the smaller Nazi pulled a gun and aimed its barrel at the third button of Kiyotaka's white shirt. A click, and the gun was cocked. "What a pity zat you must be eliminated. It was a pleasure to work with you."

The angel's laugh filled the cathedral. Pointing a gun at an imperishable celestial being, backed up by agents of the Secret Service _was_ quite silly. "I suppose you weren't expecting this cathedral to be entirely surrounded." Like the gleaming light of justice, a grin shone on Kiyotaka's face. He turned to the side entrance and saluted, "Get them, boys!" Yet no armed agents kicked in the door.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Harmony began and folded his hands where they hung. "but zese 'boys' you're talking of are on our side and zerefore not here to get us." "Double agents?" the angel exclaimed as he stumbled back. The grin had fallen from his mouth. "I'm afraid so," Harmony replied with a flat smile.

The sound of a slamming door echoed through the church. The Nazis as well as the angel snapped up their heads. _Double-double agents?_ Forceful stomps of heavy shoes and a gradually louder growing string of curse words followed. A figure dressed in all black appeared on the hall's other end. Black long trench coat, black shirt carelessly stuffed into black high-waisted pants, long orange-golden hair flowing out of a ridiculous black hat. Half-jumping to keep their feet off the ground, half-strutting to achieve the exact opposite, they sort of made their way through the pews.

"Mondo?" Kiyotaka gasped. The demon waved, "Hey, angel!" and almost lost his balance, staggering on one foot, hopping on the other as he hissed, "Goddamn sacred ground." In the blink of an eye, Kiyotaka's blank expression of disbelief changed into his usual, stern and serious one. Reproachfully, he asked, "What in the world are you doing here? I don't know how far you've listened, but I am capable of getting out of this situation alone."

With a "Hell yeah" of relief, Mondo slumped down on the nearest pew and let his plateau-booted feet dangle in the air. "I had a feeling you were in trouble and I can't just sit around and watch, right?" Kiyotaka huffed, arms akimbo, and turned away from the demon's cheeky grin. "I hope that doesn't mean what I think it means." All the while, the Nazis exchanged frowns and narrowed eyes, whispering something in harsh and quick German, "Woher weiß er bitte, dass wir hier sind?", "Herrgott, das weiß er doch unerklärlicherweise immer. Ist daher nicht die bessere Frage 'Wie kam er mit _den_ hohen Schuhen eigentlich hierher, ohne sich die Haxen zu brechen?'".

"You're not working with them, are you?" "_What?_" Mondo wanted to jump up but then remembered it'd be better not to. "With these braindead Nazi bastards? C'mon! Like I said, I'm here for you!" The angel wanted to protest but choked on his next words.

Harmony gave a little cough to attract their attention. "Mr Antonio D. Mondo. Your name has been making rounds in our group." The demon lifted his head with an annoyed sigh and raised a brow. "You acquired a name?" Kiyotaka enquired. "Yeah." Mondo shrugged. "Then what does the D stand for?" "Uh..." He blanked and squinted. "Dantonio?"

Luckily, he muttered and stuttered enough for his words to be drowned out by Glozier's "It doesn't matter anyway. You both are going to die." Mondo stood up, on the pew of course, earning himself a glare from Kiyotaka. "Yeah, no. In roughly a minute," He pointed upwards. "a German bomber will release a bomb" Then downwards. "right here. And we're all gonna die. _If_" He nodded in Kiyotaka's direction, heavily enough to make his hat slip off a little. "we're not save by some _miracle_." Kiyotaka nodded back just as subtly. "Yes, a _miracle_ , of course."

Glozier chuckled and his bloodhound cheeks flopped. "Do you expect zat we believe your nonsense? Ze bombs will fall on ze East End, just as planned." "Not if I say otherwise." Mondo extended a hand to Kiyotaka. "Angel?" He grabbed on and joined him on the pew.

Whistling air over the church, syncing with the sirens. The Nazis lost a lot of their already little menacingness as they slowly let down their guns and directed their gaze upwards, mouth fallen wide open.

Distant rumbling. Mondo shrugged off his coat and carefully placed it around Kiyotaka's shoulders, additionally to his arm. The angel looked up to the softly smiling demon. The ground shook from the explosions far off, tiny pebbles skipped about the church's floor. Mondo addressed the Nazis for the final time. "See ya in hell."

What lucky odds that nothing remained of the London church but a single pew and the two supernatural beings standing on it. A mess of stones, splintered wood and shattered glass surrounded them. Fires crackled in between the rubble. The Londons' screams were shrill enough to reach the bomb site.

The demon rolled his shoulders and removed his coat from the angel's frame. It was still of the old black that it had ever been. Weirdly enough, Mondo had lost his hat, yet his hair looked untouched. "Oh, well, that's awkward," Mondo mumbled to himself, slipping back into the jacket.

Kiyotaka who had been pressed against the demon's chest up until now took a step back. "Thank you. That was very kind of you." Mondo murmured, "Shut up," as he scratched his neck and pretended to look around for something that was not destroyed. Which was nothing. The dark of the night hid his blush. "You spared them a lot of paperwork. And my clothes, even though that wasn't necessary."

After straightening his shirt nonetheless, the angel got off the pew, followed by the demon. The dust and debris crunched under his shoes and he wrinkled his nose at the smell of smoke and burning wood and meat.

Upon this realization, he rushed off towards the pile of rubble that had buried the altar under it. "What're you doing?" he heard Mondo yell. "The Nazis!" he answered, pitched high with panic. "What do you want with _them_ now?" The demon had appeared on his left with one eyebrow raised and lips closed tightly. He placed a hand on Kiyotaka's shoulder. "The Nazis, they..." The angel raised his head, tears spilling out of his eyes. "They had my books, my books, they're-," he stammered and held up his empty hands.

"Oh, that." Mondo bent down and ripped a leather bag out of a dead hand that was sticking out very conveniently between three bricks right next to him. Kiyotaka's gaze followed his movements while he involuntarily lowered his jaw. "Here." Mondo placed the handle in his palm. With wet streams on his cheeks, Kiyotaka regarded his hand, then the demon, then his hand and then Mondo, then back to his hand. The demon chuckled and ruffled the angel's hair. "Get up, I'll take ya home!"

Kiyotaka had not noticed that Mondo was already sauntering back to his motorcycle, hands stuffed in the pockets of his pants. He was just staring at his hand, at his shirt sleeve, at the bag and the books. His precious books, all in one piece and not on fire.

He looked up. Mondo had started whistling some song Kiyotaka didn't know. His hair had caught the fire in its strands, the flames had turned his skin into molten gold. A warmth that could not have less to do with the fire around him spread through his chest and filled up his heart to the brim. He felt heavy and strong enough to stand proud, feet firmly planted on the ground, on Earth where all was beautifully strange as time went on and all grew snugly familiar as he lived on. Perhaps even demons.

"You coming, angel?" Two motorbike helmets dangled from Mondo's fingers. Kiyotaka's head snapped up and the smile he hadn't noticed on his lips widened. "Apologies! I'm on my way!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhh, this scene always cracks me up
> 
> Crowley (trying to walk on holy ground, looking like a praying mantis on a trampoline): i JuSt DiDn'T wAnT tO sEe YoU eMbArRaSsEd


	7. Café AU - a quarter milk and a pinch of sugar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand last but not least
>
>> ##### Cafe AU:
>> 
>> Mondo works as a barista and is trying to impriess a cute boy named Kiyotaka who comes into the cafe he works every single day.

"Cute guy time in two minutes!" Chihiro announced and stuffed his phone back into the front pocket of his green apron. The tiny café in which Chihiro shared his shift with his co-workers Leon and Mondo was empty, so no one turned around to them. It was morning rush hour (relatively speaking) and people never stayed long. A ten-minute foot walk separated the café from the next train station where other cafés accumulated and attracted way more customers. Thus, morning shifts were usually rather less demanding which gave the three more time to chat.

"You better do it this time or else you'll be missing out on him for another day!" Leon added and poked his elbow in Mondo's side. Mondo flinched out of his tension for the blink of an eye, but his hands immediately clenched around the counter again. Leon gave him a pat on the back before making his way outside to rewrite today's specials on the board by the entrance.

"Don't pressure yourself," Chihiro looked up from cleaning the mugs someone had left standing around in the last shift yesterday. He tried to assure the nervous wreck at the register with a smile. Mondo let go of the counter and turned to him. Strands of his long hair glided through his jittery fingers. "But I can't just sit around pining all day and 'sides," His gaze drifted off to the side. "he wouldn't want someone who can't keep a girl for more than three days, so better have him say no now."

Chihiro sighed and put the last, now clean mug back in the shelf behind him. His big eyes regarded him with some form of pity. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Mondo." Under his breath, he muttered, "And your ex wasn't a really nice woman anyway." For the first time in the morning, Mondo let out a wobbly chuckle.

The entrance door slammed shut behind Leon and both of them winced. "Show time!" He stormed to the counter, grabbed Chihiro by the arm and vanished in the storeroom in the back. As quickly as possible, to not look bored or lazy, Mondo took a peek at his phone. 6:53 am. Yep, it was time.

In the same second, the bell over the entrance jingled softly. "Good morning, everyone!" His cheerful, booming voice easily filled out the entire café. The phone slipped out of Mondo's hands. With a hissed swear, he tried to save it, but all efforts were futile. His fingers scratched at the tiles as he clawed at everything but the phone and when he finally had it and was standing again, the young man had already reached the register. "Hey, uh, sorry 'bout that." Mondo rubbed his neck. No matter what he did, his eyes would always wander away from him. "Mornin'." He managed to glance up.

The young man's name was Taka; in this café, it was common practice to write down the customer's name on the cup. It was probably an abbreviation or a nickname. From his looks, Mondo guessed that he a student at the nearest university, on his way to catch his train. The thick, black frame of his glasses rimmed unnervingly observant, burning red eyes and his much thicker, pointy eyebrows turned every expression into a stern one. His raven hair was kept short and spiky. A leather bag, bleached with use, hung from his shoulders and the brown coat that covered the white shirt underneath it seemed a little too tight around the shoulders as if the coat was too small or his shoulder too broad.

Taka really wasn't overly attractive or anything. Yes, his jaw and cheekbones were strong and protruding and his skin was of a delicate pallor, but he also had black circles under his eyes, his clothes looked worn and his face was hollow.

Mondo rarely went for guys. He rarely went for anyone if he was being honest, the ex-girlfriend that he had mentioned to Chihiro was his first, real relationship in which he had learned that commitments made him nervous and a woman who tells you that your talk about your nervousness bores her is best not to be kept. Mondo usually held his distance with men, admiring them from afar, imagining what it would be like with them and never approaching them. It was still a step to living with who he was, but he had already mastered the step prior, going from self-hate to acceptance.

However, Taka was different. His strange demeanor had excited Mondo's curiosity. Each day, 6:53 am sharp, he entered their café, greeted all those present, listed his order in the order it would be prepared and silently waited before receiving his coffee, bowing, wishing them all a good day and making his way to wherever. His clumsy politeness, the loud and nice words paired with his sharp yet rugged appearance, was burned into Mondo's mind. He felt a connection to this stranger of whom he only knew his name. Roughly five minutes each morning was enough to leave Mondo thinking about him for the rest of the day. Not many people, no one, had achieved that before. What was his full name? Who were his friends that they had given him a nickname like Taka? What did he study and how was he living that made him look that way? He needed to find out more about him.

"It's alright!" Taka caught the glow of the morning sun in his eyes as he grinned widely. "The same as always?" Mondo asked, oh God, he was more yelling than asking, and knew the answer. Taka didn't seem to mind though; he was loud himself. "The same as always, yes!" He nodded his head vigorously, happy that Mondo remembered. Mondo had to press his lips together to avoid one of these stupid smiles. They exchanged payment and change, and Mondo turned to prepare Taka's coffee.

It all went rather subconscious; someone could wake him up at three am, asking for Taka's order and he could enumerate it down to its price. So, for a minute, Mondo could allow his thoughts full bent.

What made his hands sweat the most was the fear of the aftermath. Mondo was not expecting Taka to accept his invitation to go out with him. Taka surely wasn't into guys, and definitely not into unstable contradictions like him who worked two jobs, café and carpentering, to afford his rent and care for his beloved motorcycle and shoe-sized Maltese puppy. The woman he'd want was educated, classy and of good descent; all the things Mondo never was. Of course, he would decline. But a decent man like Taka would also be weirded out by him. What prompted some random, ruffian-looking, mop-haired, pierced dude behind the counter of a coffee shop to ask out a man of his type, a man of brains and realism? Taka would leave with his nose wrinkled and his lips curled and never come back. He'd tell his friends who named him Taka about this freaky gay guy at the coffee shop he always went to, who basically barked at him to take his number and they'd all laugh.

Mondo realized he hadn't written a name on the cup as he put it down on the counter for Taka to pick up. Nonetheless, the usual procedure commenced. Taka slightly bowed, took his coffee, wished him a nice day and his co-workers the same and proceeded to the exit. There he went, off to his train to wherever, and tomorrow, he would return and by then, Mondo would still not have summoned up all his courage to ask him out. Maybe he should just give up.

"Hold up!" muffled then clear as Leon kicked open the storeroom door. Taka stopped in his tracks and spun around. In a sprint, Leon covered the distance from storeroom to register. "Leon, what the fuck?" Mondo hissed as Leon came to a halt by his side. "Well, you couldn't get your ass up, so we decided to end your twenty-four-seven basically-thirsting," Leon responded in the same hushed voice and crumpled a note in Mondo's hand. "Sir, mister?" he then called out to Taka who was back at the register in five swift steps. "Is there a problem?" Taka asked, his brows furrowed even closer together. "Nope, no problem. Mondo here just forgot to give you something." Leon patted Mondo's shoulder, nodded goodbye and disappeared into the storeroom again.

Mondo snapped out of reading the note. Soft, round handwriting displayed the words, "Mondo (that's me)" and his cellphone number. Chihiro, that well-meaning backstabber. "I didn't notice anything missing," Taka said. "What is it that you still want to give me?" "Um." Mondo could feel the heat on his entire face and his excessive attempts at eye-contact must have turned into creepy staring by now. "Here!" And as predicted, he had lost every bit of control over his volume. He slammed down the note on the counter.

Taka took the note in his hands, examined it for a moment and then, unnaturally calm, he wanted to know, "I'm sorry, I have never received someone's number, what is your intention with this?"

As if on command, every muscle in Mondo's body relaxed. That couldn't be. Nobody here could be any more awkward than him. Especially not fine, educated Taka. "Like, I dunno, maybe we could grab a coffee sometime or something." It sounded more like a question than anything else and wow, his volume had fallen even beneath normal levels again. "As in friendship activities?" He didn't just say that, did he? "No," Mondo suppressed a chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. Taking a good look at Taka's wrinkled, confused face surprisingly wasn't hard anymore. "As in like, dating activities."

Starting from his neck and his ears, every inch of Taka's pale skin flushed pink. No matter his efforts, he wasn't able to fully hide his grin and saw himself forced to turn away. He stumblingly readjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. Much of his expression still lingered as he looked up to Mondo again. Who didn't look much different.

"It seems we have both developed a special interest in each other." Taka's voice was a little shaky and much quieter. "That's very flattering. I kept wondering what brought you here. To me, you don't look like someone who works at a coffee shop." Mondo ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, same. Kinda."

They idled in silence for a little while until Taka suddenly exclaimed, "I have to catch my train!" He had reset, or so it appeared, face pale and eyebrows stern again. He granted Mondo a final smile before he turned around. "Thank you for everything, Mondo, I'll call you as soon as I can!" He hurried to the exit, the bell over the door jingled more loudly this time, and he was gone.

Oh wow. Mondo just really did that. He really, truly just gave some random guy his number. It was important to add that the guy would call him, and he seemed serious about it. It was of overly and utmost importance to add that the guy was as, if not more socially-inept than Mondo, he had the cutest and dorkiest smile and he was also not afraid to go out with someone who was, by a head and a half, taller than him, had most of his arms inked up and who yelled a lot more than necessary.

The doorbell sounded once again. It wasn't Taka, only a regular customer. "Guys, get the hell out of the storeroom, I don't wanna run this place alone!" Mondo shouted over his shoulder. Chihiro silently slipped out behind the door, an apologetic smile on his lips while Leon crept out of the room and over to the register, his eyebrows wiggling at an impressive speed. "You better tell us about your date that _we_ , by the way, wingmaned for you," he muttered and switched places with Mondo. Someday, Mondo promised himself, they would pay for fumbling around with his personal matters. Someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank for joining me this IshiMondo week, I hope you had as much fun reading as I had fun writing it!


End file.
